Hello Secular FAM,

Thanks for standing up for separation of church and state... it's more important than ever as the Establishment Clause is under attack on all fronts.

Here are actions you can take this week and beyond:

It's almost Banned Books Week; every year, Secular AZ distributes a selection of banned titles to the Tucson Festival of Books. Help us build our banned books library.
9/30, 4p: Learn how to raise your voice about trans rights with EducateUS training. Info here.
9/30, 5p: Learn the principles of non-violent protest at this LUCHA training. Info here.
9/30, 6p: CEBV Civics Series - Law Enforcement and the Courts. Info here.
10/2, 7:30a: First Amendment rally outside Rep. Abe Hamadeh's office in Surprise. Info here.
10/3, 9a: Democracy Reform Summit on Removing Barriers to Native Political Participation. Info here.
10/6, 5p: Learn about protest safety and de-esclation at an ACLU virtual training. Info here.
10/18: No Kings Marches around the state. Info here.
Thursdays, 4p: Virtual phone banking/register new voters with SOSAZ. Info here.
Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, 5:30p: Deep canvassing training with SOSAZ. Info here.
Tell Congress and the U.S. Dept. of Ed you oppose plans to promote (extremist, far-right, religion-infusion) "patriotic education." Info here.
Email Governor Hobbs and ask her to create a dedicated, affirming LGBTQIA+ crisis line staffed by trained counselors. Info here.
Speak up for public schools! SOSAZ makes it easy to tell congress to stop Trump's federal budget cuts and tell AZ state leaders to stop the ESA voucher grift. Info here.
Turning Point Action is attempting to take over the SRP board and influence (sustainable) energy policy. If you own property the Phoenix metro area, you can likely vote in the election, even if you don't get your power from SRP. You just have to register to vote here.
Monitor or attend school board meetings in your district. Info here.
Set up a high school voter registration drive with CEBV and The Civics Center. Info here.
Protect students; become a Hall Monitor with Just Schools. Info here.
Attend a Working Families Party event or training. Info here.
Distribute ACLU's "Know Your Rights: Immigration and Deportation" cards. Request cards.
Protect your neighbors by joining Tucson Community Rapid Response. Info here.

Political Reporter Amanda Marcotte

Several months ago, we scheduled author and Salon's senior politics reporter Amanda Marcotte to discuss her reporting on Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA's growing alignment with religious extremists.

In light of recent events, this discussion is more relevant than ever. Please join us this Friday, October 3, at noon to hear about Marcotte's latest reporting.

Click here to register for this virtual presentation

Surviving Turning Point USA

Last week, we were joined by Prof. Kevin Parkinson. He's a professor and filmmaker who was targeted by Turning Point USA's Professor Watchlist.

He created a documentary about the experience of being harassed and targeted, Surviving Turning Point USA.Through in-depth interviews with professors, the film exposes how targeted harassment and political agendas threaten academic freedom and intellectual discourse.

Click here to watch this presentation.

Hey Tucson! Secular AZ is heading your way on Saturday, October 11 for not one, but two in-person events... and you're invited to both.

At 2pm, we're meeting at the Woods Memorial Library (3455 North 1st. Avenue) for a conversation with Secular AZ’s Jeanne Casteen and Eddie Chavez Calderon, hosted by the Secular Humanist Jewish Circle of Tucson.

We’ll discuss Secular AZ’s work in education and church: state separation issues, as well as Eddie’s work in advocacy, human rights, and fundraising. Find details for this free event here.

Then at 5:30pm, join us for Tucson-Ask-A-Lawyer. Two experts will join us to answer your questions about what's going on with immigration in Tucson and beyond. We'll meet near Broadway/Alvernon with special guests immigration activist Margo Cowan and immigration attorney Mo Goldman.

RSVP is required. The location will be released the day before the event to registered guests. Light refreshments provided; please BYOB. Find details and registration here.

See you in Tucson!

THIS WEEK IN SECULAR NEWS

When you've lost the QAnon Shaman. Jacob Chansley, best known for his January 6th costume and (brief) run for office in Arizona, is suing a wide array of defendants, including Donald Trump and the U.S. government, for a total of $40 trillion. A 26-page lawsuit filed in Maricopa County Superior Court alleges violations of Chansley's constitutional rights and details numerous conspiracy theories, such as claims that the NSA spied on him, Hollywood stole his work, and radio DJs are part of the intelligence community. Chansley, who is representing himself, also proclaims himself the rightful president of a "New Constitutional Republic" with Phoenix as its capital, demanding money to pay off the national debt and compensate him for his "torture." It was only last year that AZ Sen. and Mama Fratelli twin Anthony Kern invited Chansley to be his guest at the Capitol. Read more.

Political disconnect? In the 7th Congressional District's recent election, candidate Daniel Hernandez, who took a moderate, pro-business stance, was heavily supported by LGBTQIA+ PACs like the Victory Fund. However, he lost the primary by a large margin to more progressive opponents, Adeljita Grijalva and Deja Foxx. In order to find out why, Lookout reviewed gender-diverse voters in Tucson, and found they overwhelmingly favored progressive initiatives like increased social services and reduced police funding—platforms better aligned with Grijalva's and Foxx's campaigns. The results suggest that organizations endorsing candidates may be prioritizing representation and pragmatism over the progressive social equity issues that many local LGBTQIA+ voters care about. Read more.

Stop whitewashing history. To summarize: One can condemn the manner of his death without whitewashing the harm, hatred and divisiveness of his views... and in fact, to do so is dangerous. Read more.

This is fine. Aren't you glad climate change is a hoax? Me too, because otherwise a new report from the environmental non-profit CERES would be worrisome. Using Phoenix as a case study, "Drained by Data" found that in the next six years, water use by data centers will increase buy almost 900%, from 385 million gallons/year to 3.7 billion/year. And that's just direct water use; indirectly, water usage associated with data centers will more than quadruple, increasing from 2.9 billion to 14.5 billion gallons. Glad the GOP is deregulating everything. Read more.

Would you take health advice from either of these men?? Trump and "Health" Secretary Road F*ing Kill Jr.'s ongoing fixation on debunked conspiracy theories linking vaccines and Tylenol to autism came to a head last week. Medical experts are alarmed by the administration's stated commitment to investigating this scientifically discredited connection, noting that RFK Jr.'s appointment of discredited researchers will lead to flawed studies, undermine trust in public health, and increase harmful stigma against autistic people by characterizing the condition as an "injury" or "epidemic." Their literally unhealthy focus also diverts crucial resources from legitimate research. Read more.

Malevolent clown show: Though the post has since been taken down, Trump shared an AI-produced (a.k.a. totally fake) video of himself talking about soon-to-be-available "MedBeds" that will "restore all Americans to full health." There's a LOT to unpack here but bottom line is this: "MedBeds" aren't real. It's a right-wing conspiracy theory that the government has futuristic medical devices that cure every disease, regrow limbs, and stop the aging process. It shouldn't need to be said, but it's extremely disturbing that the dude in charge of America's nuclear arsenal apparently does not know that #1 MedBeds are not a real thing, #2 thinks that an AI video of himself talking about how MedBeds will soon be available to all Americans is real and #3 omg wouldn't "MedBeds for All be *gasp* socialized medicine?? Read more.

Unhinged. Kingman Rep John Gillette (R) called for a Democratic congresswoman to be executed because she urged people upset with President Donald Trump to protest in the streets. Notably, his comments come after his democratic colleagues voiced concerns over the rhetoric Gillette used in recent weeks. In a message to fellow lawmakers (that included a racial slur) he blamed recent violence on the political left, accusing Democrats of stoking hate and violence against Republicans. Read more.